Sight-impaired students work at ranch, library

Sugar Plum Ranch owner Jennifer Elliott said she lost the best ranch hands she ever had after six vision-impaired youth headed off to gain work experience at another venue.

By Andy FillmoreCorrespondent

Sugar Plum Ranch owner Jennifer Elliott said she lost the best ranch hands she ever had after six vision-impaired youths headed off to gain work experience at another venue."I was the only handicap; the kids were enthusiastic, and they did everything right. They made my heart sing," Elliott said.The ranch, in Ocklawaha, is home to the nonprofit Horse in Miracles program, which employs gentle horses as calming therapy. The Florida Center for the Blind's Transitions summer training program is designed to give children ages 14 to 22 tools to enter the workplace or continue their education. The 16 youths involved in the program alternated between the ranch and the Ocala-Marion County Public Library main branch to gain field experience.Jennifer Nisbett, a counselor with the center, said the Transitions program spans seven weeks each summer."Some things we cover are things a sighted person would take for granted," Nisbett said.The program includes a week in class learning how to dress and draft a resume and other job preparation skills, two weeks each at two different field work locations, and one week doing job shadowing or observing.Nisbett said her experience has been that vision-impaired people are typically "more competent than average adolescents and just don't get a chance" in the workplace.At Sugar Plum Ranch, the youth fulfilled the regular duties of a horse ranch worker, including grooming and feeding the animals and mucking out the stalls.On Tuesday, Blake Oliver, 16, of Williston; and Eddy Espinoza, 18, from Ocklawaha, bathed and groomed Ginger, a 22-year-old quarter horse."I like information technology as a career," Blake said as he washed Ginger, who stood almost totally still. Blake said he was enjoying the outdoor environment."I had a work session at the restaurant in the Ocala Hilton, too. I've liked all the work training " he said.As he smoothed out Ginger's tail hair, Espinoza said his family has been involved in the horse industry.Nearby, Gainesville resident Lindsey Raulerson, 19, and Chelsea Fletcher, 18, of Williston, groomed and bathed Juliette, a brood mare."I'd like to teach and work with children," Raulerson said as she brushed the horse.Fletcher said she has "liked to work with animals since I was little," and added that she especially likes snakes.Fletcher's grandmother and guardian Sharon Gillman said the experience has helped give her granddaughter "more independence and self-confidence.""The Transitions program is aimed at helping people take care of themselves," Gillman said, adding that it is "hard work" for someone legally blind to live in a sighted world."Chelsea has volunteered with a veterinarian. Snakes are a tactile item for her," Gillman said.Horses in Miracles volunteer Mike Kozierowski, a teacher at Eustis Middle School, worked with Perrii Lee, 15, of Gainesville, and Matthew Jones, 18, of Ocala, as they checked on feed levels for the horses and cleaned stalls.Perrii was asked to tell the difference between alfalfa and hay for feeding and identified the alfalfa as feeling "more coarse" than the hay."This program gives the youth a real feel of what it's like to work on a horse ranch, It's also good exercise, and the kids love it," Kozierowski said.At the library, the participants' work was far different."We're so pleased to partner with the Florida Center for the Blind. The students completed a cleaning program in the audio section and cleaned and straightened shelves," said Karen Jensen community liaison and volunteer coordinator with the library."We have an extensive inventory to assist the vision impaired. At least one student said they would return to get a library card — it's a win-win situation," Jensen said.Blake said he wanted to make one comment about his work experiences: "I just want to be treated like anyone else."